Brisk and bright, yet subtle in its message.
What can little creatures do to protect themselves from the forest bully?
The scary Snorklum, who has long tan fur and striped purple horns, is so worried about getting to his cave before dark that his crinkly whiskers begin to wibble. He sees Mole standing near a tree and picks him up with thoughts of having a Mole sandwich. Mole’s response to Snorklum’s scary roar is, “Why are your whiskers wibbling…?” Frustrated, Snorklum sticks Mole in his pocket, figuring he’ll eat him later. Down the road, he spies Rabbit and decides that a Rabbit pie would taste better than a Mole sandwich. He tries to scare Rabbit, but the same thing happens; Snorklum stuffs Rabbit into his shoulder bag and continues on his way. Next he encounters Badger (perfect for Badger stew), but he just can’t scare him either. Snorklum does stare the leaves off the trees and make the birds scatter, but the animals just stare at him; they know a secret: “If a scary Snorklum stays out after dark...” With a POOOFFT, the scary Snorklum, with a strangled cry, shrinks to the size of an insect. And no one, not even the birds, is afraid. Chapman’s Snorklum, cousin, perhaps, to Bert Lahr’s Cowardly Lion, is appropriately goofy, and her backgrounds go through many colors, from gold of late afternoon to dark-blue night.
Brisk and bright, yet subtle in its message. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-56148-728-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Good Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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